Sir Sadiq Khan and King ‘compared who is a bigger workaholic'
Speaking to the PA news agency, the 54-year-old said: 'I have got the pleasure of working closely with the King.
'We were just comparing who's a bigger workaholic.
'He was very chuffed that he managed to personally give me this honour and he actually apologised for it taking so long – which is not a problem at all.'
Sir Sadiq, a second-generation immigrant, said: 'My mum's here, and she's been emotional since it was announced on January 1, and today's just a great day for the family.
'Obviously, from my background, being the son of immigrants, my parents coming here from Pakistan, it's a big deal for us.'
Asked what he is proudest of in his time as the Mayor of London, Sir Sadiq said free school meals for primary school children, 'cleaning the air and investing in affordable housing'.
'What I'm really proud of is the chance to work with Londoners, like His Majesty.'
Sir Loyd Grossman, who was knighted at the same ceremony, said London is 'the greatest city in the world'.
Sir Loyd Grossman after receiving the honour of knighthood during an investiture ceremony at Buckingham Palace (Aaron Chown/PA)
The 74-year-old broadcaster and author, known widely for his range of cooking sauces, was awarded a knighthood for services to heritage, having led the transition of The Royal Parks, as chairman, from a government agency through to its establishment as an independent charity.
Born in Massachusetts in the US, Sir Loyd came to England in his mid-20s.
'I've always felt that our heritage is so important to us, because not only is it beautiful, it's also inspiring,' Sir Loyd said.
'It helps us realise what it's like to be citizens together.
'It's one of the things that we do better in this country than anywhere in the world.
Sir Loyd Grossman was knighted for his services to heritage in his role as chairman of The Royal Parks (Yui Mok/PA)
'People all over the world, when you ask them about London: what is it that's so great about London – which is the greatest city in the world – almost always they say your parks.'
He said The Royal Parks were a lifeline for Londoners in lockdown, but that he 'couldn't possibly say' which is his favourite.
'The first one I ever went to, when I came here as a student, was Kensington Gardens, so I have a particularly strong affinity for Kensington Gardens but I just love all of them.'
Dame Emily Thornberry, who has been Labour MP for Islington South and Finsbury since 2005, was formally made a dame at Buckingham Palace.
Dame Emily Thornberry formally received her damehood at Buckingham Palace (Aaron Chown/PA)
The chairwoman of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, 64, said she does not usually get nervous but was 'fizzy with nerves' after receiving the honour.
Dame Emily, who was honoured for political and public service, wore brooches belonging to her mother and grandmother in her hat at the ceremony.
'My grandmother used to work for Lloyds Bank and she wasn't allowed to work after she got married. If she knew that I'd become a dame, she wouldn't believe it,' the former shadow foreign secretary said.
'Neither would my mum.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Western Telegraph
5 minutes ago
- Western Telegraph
It is not my job to dictate what you can create, says Swinney on eve of festival
He addressed invited guests at the headquarters of the Edinburgh International Festival as the capital's festival season is set to begin. Mr Swinney told the audience on Thursday he would be a protector of freedom of speech in his time in the top job. 'I also know that freedom of expressing is under greater and greater attack, both at home and abroad,' he said. 'I want to ensure that Scotland, the birthplace of the Enlightenment, remains a country of robust debate and inquiry. John Swinney spoke at the Edinburgh International Festival Hub (Jane Barlow/PA) 'I firmly believe that art and culture must be able to challenge us, to ask us tough questions, and to force us to look at things from different perspectives. 'And, yes, it must, at times, be allowed to shock and offend us, but it can also heal us. 'Let me be absolutely clear – as First Minister, I will always protect freedom of speech in our country. 'It's not the First Minister's job to tell you what to create, nor would I ever seek to do so.' Mr Swinney added that his and his Government's role is to assist artists in any way they can. The First Minister went on to make a plea to the crowd and to wider society – with a particular nod to tech firms – to look at how the arts can be better supported financially as the Government looks to boost funding to £100 million annually in the coming years. The First Minister attended an event on the eve of the start of Edinburgh's festival season (Jane Barlow/PA) 'I'm asking that from crowdfunding to patronage, to philanthropy to local authority support and much more, we all ask ourselves how can we do more to support the arts from the grassroots up?' he said. 'How can we better support emerging artists that don't necessarily fit the current mould? 'And how, in particular, can Scotland's emerging businesses in new sectors become the new generation of patrons of the arts and culture in Scotland? 'How do we incentivise a new guard of custodians and investors in Scotland's creative economy?' Speaking to journalists after his speech, Mr Swinney said he is open to discussions about new legislation to support the cultural sector. He said there is a sense that local authorities 'might not have a particularly explicit statutory duty to support artistic and cultural activity', suggesting this area 'might need to be strengthened'.
Western Telegraph
39 minutes ago
- Western Telegraph
Politicians attend funeral of ‘inspiring leader' Norman Tebbit
The service, at St Edmundsbury Cathedral in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk where Lord Tebbit had lived, was attended by a cast of politicians including former Conservative MP and novelist Jeffrey Archer and his wife Mary. Former Tory MP Neil Hamilton and his wife Christine, former leader of the House of Commons Jacob Rees-Mogg and former deputy prime minister Therese Coffey were also present. The order of service for the funeral of Lord Norman Tebbit (Joe Giddens/PA) Conservative grandee Lord Tebbit, who was one of Margaret Thatcher's closest political allies, died on July 7 aged 94. Tory peer and author Lord Michael Dobbs, who gave the eulogy at Thursday's service, described Lord Tebbit as 'a giant, an inspiring leader'. Former leader of the Conservative Party Iain Duncan Smith, who gave a reading from William Shakespeare's Hamlet, said afterwards that the service was 'glorious'. 'It was a glorious service and rather befitting for Norman, Norman Tebbit, who quite often was understated but never missed an argument,' said Sir Iain. He said the reading he was asked to read, from act one, scene three of Hamlet, 'could not have been more certainly Norman in every respect'. Sir Iain Duncan Smith (right) departs the funeral of Lord Norman Tebbit, where he gave a reading (Joe Giddens/ PA) 'He was clear, he was himself from the word go, he didn't change his values throughout the whole of his time,' he said. 'He was a tough competitor but the beauty of it that came out was he had a real soft heart and was kind and had many friends on all sides of the house. 'He was my mentor throughout the early part of my political career.' Lord Archer said afterwards that the service was 'beautiful' and that Lord Tebbit 'was above all loyal, loyalty was his passion'. (Left to right) Lady Mary Archer, Lord Jeffrey Archer, Sir Iain Duncan Smith and Lord Dobbs depart the funeral of Lord Norman Tebbit (Joe Giddens/ PA) Lord Tebbit was injured in an IRA bombing during the Conservative Party conference in Brighton in 1984, which left his wife, Margaret, paralysed from the neck down. He served as employment secretary, taking on the trade unions, and as chairman of the Conservative Party from 1985 to 1987 he helped Mrs Thatcher secure her third general election victory. He also served as trade secretary and had a reputation as a political bruiser. After the 1987 election success he left his post as Tory chairman to help care for Margaret, who died in 2020. The hearse carrying the coffin of Lord Norman Tebbit arrives at St Edmundsbury Cathedral in Bury St Edmunds (Joe Giddens/PA) He left the Commons in 1992 and became a member of the House of Lords. His son William said his father died 'peacefully at home'. Lord Tebbit's coffin arrived at the cathedral in a black hearse driven at walking pace, with family members following behind on foot. Church bells rang as air cadets formed a guard of honour at the cathedral door and the coffin, covered with flowers, was carried inside. Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg attends the funeral of Lord Norman Tebbit, at St Edmundsbury Cathedral in Bury St Edmunds (Joe Giddens/ PA) Lord Tebbit's children William, Alison and John each took turns to share reflections of their father, who Alison described as 'uncompromising' and 'loyal', also possessing humour and a 'sense of fun'. The service, also attended by Sir Graham Brady, Tory MP Mark Francois, Lord Deben and Labour MP for Bury St Edmunds Peter Prinsley, ended with the RAF March as the recessional music as people filed out.
The Herald Scotland
an hour ago
- The Herald Scotland
Starmer: Small business owners should not have to put homes on the line
Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said late payments were the 'number one issue' raised by small businesses as he and Sir Keir Starmer visited a Swindon co-working space in a former train shed. The plan also aims to boost access to finance after small businesses said they were struggling to secure loans. Sir Keir Starmer and Jonathan Reynolds speak to staff members of small businesses at Workshed in Swindon (Anthony Upton/PA) 'I don't want anybody who is willing to take a risk and start a business to feel that their family home might be a risk if that doesn't go right, so working again with private lenders to give people that reassurance,' Mr Reynolds said. The Prime Minister said being an entrepreneur in the UK was a matter of putting 'your whole self' into it. 'You put your whole self in, you put your whole self in, you put your family in, you put so much into running a business.' But he said he wanted to make access to business finance easier, after hearing from the owner of a salon business who told him she had faced 'astronomical' interest rates when she had first opened her business and looked at a bank loan. He said: '(We're) making sure people can access that more easily, more readily, don't necessarily have to feel that they've got to put their equity, their house on the line.' He said he had been shocked to learn that £11 billion is lost through late payments annually and that it is often big businesses paying late. Upcoming legislation will introduce maximum payment terms of 60 days. The small business commissioner will also get new powers to fine large companies persistently paying suppliers late. The commissioner will also be able to enforce a rule that customers must pay their supplier within 30 days of receiving a valid invoice, unless otherwise agreed, with spot checks to help identify breaches. The plan will also pump £4 billion of financial support into small business start-ups and growth. This is set to include £1 billion for new firms, with 69,000 start-up loans and mentoring support over the next four years. And the British Business Bank will have its financial capacity increased to £25.6 billion. Andrew Griffith, the Conservative shadow business secretary, said: 'Cracking down on late payments will be welcome for small business but will mean nothing for the 218,000 businesses that have closed under Labour. 'The reality for businesses under Labour is a doubling of business rates, a £25 billion jobs tax and a full-on strangulation of employment red tape. 'Only the Conservatives are on the side of the makers and will support businesses across Britain to create jobs and wealth.' Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer speaks to small business owners in Swindon (Anthony Upton/PA) The Lib Dems said the announcement 'falls far short' of a proper plan. Sarah Olney, the Lib Dem business spokesperson, said: 'Small businesses are the beating heart of our economy and our local communities, yet they've had to suffer through years of chaos under the last Conservative government and are now being badly hit by this Government's damaging national insurance hike. 'Ministers can't go on burying their heads in the sand about the huge challenges that SMEs face. We must urgently see a proper plan centred on scrapping the national insurance rise, fixing business rates and cutting sky-high energy bills.' Mr Reynolds said about half of all businesses in the UK were paying the same or lower national insurance employer contributions. 'But we will always acknowledge there have been some difficult decisions the Government had to make on the public finances. 'That makes it even more important to deliver on these measures that will make a practical difference to save businesses time and money wherever we can.' Sir Keir said rising business rates were a 'real cause of concern' and that his Government was going to stabilise it. 'So, it's not changing year on year. So, lower it because that's really important for these small and medium sized businesses,' he told ITV West Country.
